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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429576">Darkness (And Then There Was Light)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincesjester/pseuds/theprincesjester'>theprincesjester</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Modern AU, Multi, Or at least elements of it, There may be original characters for plot purposes, and happy, and is also a Struggling Musician, at some point it was decided that marigold works with him, attempting to write at least one song, but i promise that it ends okay, but it stuck, even i don't completely remember where that came from, he works at a coffee shop, he's in school for music, in which geralt is still a witcher but jaskier is a Regular Human, in which i completely ignore canon, over the strange little man with the instrument, que geralt already feeling strangely protective, referenced/implied reincarnation au, so the warning is major character death, so they're vaguely friends now i guess, so we're gonna call him julian for a hot minute, this wasn't supposed to get this far</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 23:36:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,622</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22429576</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincesjester/pseuds/theprincesjester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He sighed, the sound very out of place as he stared at nothing, the inky blackness all around him giving the illusion that it could snuff out any light. It probably could, depending on what was causing it, he thought. He had seen things that would have probably been harder to believe, if he had been from anywhere else.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon &amp; Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon &amp; Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon &amp; Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia &amp; Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia &amp; Renfri | Shrike, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia &amp; Triss Merigold, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion &amp; Triss Merigold, Renfri | Shrike &amp; Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Triss Merigold &amp; Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The End and the Beginning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This came from an idea of Jaskier making a lot of X-Men (and Harry Potter) references around Geralt and Yennefer. </p><p>I might add more to this, but I'm not entirely sure yet. I have a couple ideas for what could happen later on, but... who knows<br/>And if it does continue, we'll get to play the game of "will i actually remember that he's supposed to have adhd in this, or will i inevitably forget to with my own adhd?"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was dark. </p><p>That was the first thing he registered, unable to see anything even with his heightened abilities. It was almost a knee-jerk reaction to check, and he almost sighed in relief when he felt the familiar cool metal graze his hand as he put it to his chest. </p><p>The next thing he registered was that it was silent, almost crushing. It felt similar to being suffocated, except that he could breathe, and for that he was thankful. </p><p>He sighed, the sound very out of place as he stared at nothing, the inky blackness all around him giving the illusion that it could snuff out any light. It probably could, depending on what was causing it, he thought. He had seen things that would have probably been harder to believe, if he had been from anywhere else. </p><p>Geralt squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck.” he opened them again, sighing, wincing when everything was painfully bright around him, blinding white and so very different from the previous darkness. He could feel a tug somewhere in his gut, then a crushing feeling, the wind getting knocked out of his lungs. </p><p>----</p><p>Julian hummed, trying to scribble down the melody before he lost it, starting to strum a couple chords on the small instrument he was practically cradling. </p><p>“Julian!” Triss shouted at him, and he looked up quickly, head jerking up. “A number three, please.” she was clearly exasperated with him, already. He nodded, standing quickly. </p><p>“Coming right up!” he almost chirped, not put off by her irritation and quickly making the coffee. He passed it off to her, and she gave it to the customer with a sigh. </p><p>“Julian, I get that it’s important to you and everything, but--” she started. </p><p>“My shift’s over!” He gave her a dazzling smile, and she threw her hands up in exasperation. </p><p>“Can you take over for me?” she turned to one of their other coworkers, and at their nod she took off after him as he made his way to the back. “Julian.” she repeated. </p><p>“Yes, my darling Marigold?” he half-teased, and she rolled her eyes, watching as he gathered everything and put them in his bag. </p><p>“I understand that it’s important to you, but… you also need to remember to do other things, too,” </p><p>“I’ve got ADHD, Triss, I can’t just…” </p><p>“I get that, but… please? You need to take care of yourself, and you need to at least do half of your job,” she pushed his arm gently. “Besides, attention deficiency can’t completely justify it.” </p><p>He was absolutely beaming at her as he shrugged. “Alright. Thank you for your concern.” he bowed to her. </p><p>“Now go, you complete fucking dork,” she smiled as she handed him his instrument case, gently pushing him out the door and waving. </p><p>Julian shook his head, still smiling as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder and slung his instrument case on the other, carrying the instrument and strumming it as he walked along. </p><p>He had a habit of doing this, not always paying complete attention to his surroundings, his attempts to write a song still somewhat failing. </p><p>Until he saw the yellow eyes glinting from an alleyway in his peripheral vision. </p><p>Really, he figured that most other “reasonable, sensible” people would have been more concerned about such a sight, but he had enough faith in his abilities (and the eyes didn’t look too human, he mused, it would be best to at least check to make sure there wasn’t an injured animal) to not get too badly hurt. </p><p>So he peeked inside of the alleyway, gasping when he got pinned to the brick wall, yellow eyes glaring into his own. Julian let his eyes search the face in front of him, the eyes drawing his curiosity and attention as he looked at them. </p><p>The man pinning him to the bricks made a sound that was almost a growl (but it couldn’t have been, could it? Julian wondered, trying to take everything in) and dragging him farther into alleyway where it was darker, but he could still see. </p><p>He was strong, that much Julian could tell without even having to look at him. Decently attractive, too, if you asked him. Long, probably-white hair that was, in all honesty, a complete mess. </p><p>Julian almost hummed as he considered the man in front of him. </p><p>“Name.” The voice was rough, the man’s eyes wild. </p><p>“I usually try to avoid giving my name out to strangers that put me in this kind of position,” he answered as smoothly as he could, trying to hide his fear. </p><p>The man grunted. “I want to know your name.” He reached one hand around and pulled out a knife. </p><p>Julian’s eyes widened at the sight of the weapon. “Jesus Christ. Okay, okay, I’m Julian. Can you please… let me go now?” </p><p>The man grunted again, but did as requested, putting the knife back wherever he had pulled it from, still keeping Julian trapped between his arms. He could work with that, even if he could feel himself go a bit warm at the implications. </p><p>“Uh… who are you?” </p><p>The man regarded him for a moment before responding. “Geralt. Geralt of Rivia.” </p><p>“...you aren’t from around here, are you?” Julian examined the man once again, taking note of how completely out of place he looked in comparison to everyone else. </p><p>Maybe he was one of those cosplayers, or something. </p><p>“No. I told you, I’m Geralt of Rivia. As in, the witcher.” </p><p>“You’re a witch?” Julian cocked his head to the side in question. </p><p>“No, a witcher.” Geralt sighed. </p><p>“...okay. Not from around here?” </p><p>Geralt grunted and sighed again. “Yeah. Yeah, not from around here.” </p><p>“I mean, I kinda gathered that, with the whole getup. Uh… Alright. So I usually try to avoid, like… possibly getting myself killed, but… do you need somewhere to stay? You can explain what’s going on, or something, I dunno, and I can try to help you or something?” he eventually said, figuring that he could work around more of this later. Geralt hesitated before nodding. “And also, uh… my instrument.” </p><p>Geralt looked between them, then looked to one of Julian’s hands, which held the instrument by the neck. </p><p>“Not broken. Probably a bit…” </p><p>“I swear to all that is holy, if you say that you ‘banged up’ my baby--” </p><p>Geralt shifted from around him, now only with one hand on the wall to trap him in, and Julian immediately brought the instrument up to inspect it.  </p><p>“Jesus fucking Christ, I almost had a heart attack,” he sighed as he hugged the instrument close to himself. “Okay. C’mon, I’ll take you to my apartment, does that sound okay?” </p><p>Geralt eyed him. “...apartment.” </p><p>“Like… a living space. Yeah. You can stay there for a bit, and we can… you stink. We can get you cleaned up, then you can tell me what the hell happened with you,” </p><p>Geralt nodded, and finally dropped his other hand, both clenching at his sides. </p><p>Julian nodded back to him, giving him a wobbly smile and cradling his instrument, giving it a few experimental strums and nodding in satisfaction when he found that the strings weren’t too terribly out of tune and making his way to the mouth of the alley. Geralt followed silently the entire way to the apartment, his stride unusually slow for his usual walking speed and walking next to the shorter man, who practically skipped most of the way to his home. </p><p>Julian held up a hand, a sign to wait, while he fished his keys out of his pockets and unlocked his front door, stepping in and holding his arms out to show his newfound friend. </p><p>“Now that we’re here, you can go ahead and… shower. Or bathe, whichever suits your fancy. I can show you which way the bathroom is, and I think I might possibly be able to find something that can fit you,” </p><p>Geralt nodded, looking around the living room. Julian shrugged, setting his bag and instrument on the couch, propping his case up on the ground before showing Geralt the way to the bathroom. </p><p>“...thank you,” Geralt muttered as Julian started to get the bath ready, setting out a towel for the other man. </p><p>He nodded. “You’re welcome. If you want to…” he let his voice trail off awkwardly, turning around to look at Geralt, who had already stripped. “Oh. Alright, then. Okay.” </p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>“Nothing, don’t worry about it. Uh…” he let his eyes flick to the ground, where Geralt’s discarded clothing lay. “Okay, I don’t know that I can really… clean that? So I’ll find you some other clothes.” </p><p>Geralt nodded and settled into the bath, nodding when Julian turned off the water. “Thank you.” </p><p>“You’re welcome,” he nodded. “I’ll be right back.” Julian left the bathroom, humming as he tried to find something that would fit the much bigger man currently in his tub. He, eventually, settled on a sweatshirt that had always been a bit too large on him (probably stolen from a past boyfriend, he thought) and some sweatpants, figuring that those probably wouldn’t spook the man too much. He made his way back to the bathroom just as Geralt was getting out, the towel wrapped around himself. </p><p>“Here. Uh… you can try these on,” Julian held the articles of clothing out almost numbly, not sure where to look at the strange man and yet also sensing that maybe he shouldn’t let his gaze linger too long. He reached over, bending to let the water out of the tub, then left the bathroom. “I’ll be in the living room, whenever you’re finished in here.”  </p><p>Geralt nodded. </p><p>Julian left, going to sit on the couch and grabbing his instrument, moving his bag to the floor so that Geralt could have a place to sit. He strummed a couple chords as he waited, looking up when Geralt entered the room, the sweatpants just a little too small for him but working decently. </p><p>“You can sit, if you’d like,” Julian patted the seat next to him, and Geralt nodded, taking the seat by him. “Okay, uh. Can you… please fill me in on what exactly happened? So I can maybe help you.”</p><p>And Geralt launched into his story, explaining who he was and where he was from, hesitating before telling him about how he had gotten separated from Roach. but getting through it, pushing down whatever choking feelings he felt about the horse he had, albeit unwillingly, left behind.</p><p>“...so you mean to tell me that you really…?” Jaskier was staring at the man in front of him in disbelief. He only nodded. “I--wow. Alright. This is…” </p><p>“Hard to believe?” Geralt finally interrupted, voice still rough. Jaskier nodded, then paused, looking at him almost critically. </p><p>“Oh my god. You’re… you’re like one of the fucking… the X-Men, aren’t you?” </p><p>“...what?” </p><p>“The X-Men. You know, like… mutants? Professor X?” Jaskier cocked his head, legitimately surprised at the other man’s furrowing brows. </p><p>“I’m afraid I haven’t…” </p><p>“Right, right. You’ve been in… fucking… wherever you were, you probably wouldn’t--oh my god,” Jaskier stopped himself once more, looking at Geralt dead in the eye, a grin spreading across his face. “You don’t know about Star Wars, either, then, do you?” </p><p>“Star… Star Wars?” Geralt looked almost awkward as he said the words. “What… is that about wars in the stars?” </p><p>Jaskier hummed a little, nodding. “Yeah, kinda. I mean, there’s more than that, but… that’s kinda the gist of it.” his eyes almost glinted, the blue brighter than they had been before the conversation started. </p><p>“And is this… common knowledge of your people?” </p><p>“Yeah. Very common. Oh my God, I think I might have met one of the few people that doesn’t know about the… the thing,” Jaskier almost fell back, and Geralt tensed, ready to throw out a hand to catch him, but stopped when he came rocking back, clapping. “You don’t know. This is going to be so fucking fun.” </p><p>“What… what don’t I know?” </p><p>“Well, I can’t tell you. That ruins the surprise. C’mon, that’s what we gotta do now, I’m making you watch Star Wars with me,” </p><p>Geralt watched him, and Jaskier waited, almost trying to gauge what his response was. “Hm.” he eventually let out. </p><p>“Come on, Wolverine, I promise it won’t be that bad,” </p><p>Geralt peered at him, brows furrowed. “What?” </p><p>“Hm?” </p><p>The white haired man huffed. “Who is that?” </p><p>“Wolverine?” </p><p>Geralt nodded. “Yeah.” </p><p>Jaskier smiled, letting out a little laugh. “You kinda remind me of him, that’s all.” </p><p>“Oh. Alright. Okay, uh…” he considered for a moment. “Jaskier?” </p><p>“Hm?” </p><p>“Jaskier.” </p><p>The newly-dubbed Jaskier shrugged. “If you wanna call me that, I won’t stop you… Wolverine.” he laughed again, knocking his shoulder against Geralt’s arm. Geralt nodded. </p><p>“So those… Wars in the Stars movies? What…” </p><p>“Right, right, you don’t know what a movie is. I’ll show you. Do you see that?” Jaskier pointed at the television in front of them. </p><p>Geralt nodded. “It’s a bit hard not to.” </p><p>“Right, yeah. Okay, so that’s a tv, and it like… gets moving pictures on it?” </p><p>“...moving pictures,” Geralt considered the idea and nodded again. </p><p>“Yes, right. And they also make sound, so it’s like… watching people do things, except they aren’t doing it at that moment?” </p><p>“Like a play?” </p><p>“Exactly!” Jaskier clapped and nodded, pointing at him. “Exactly like that! Except not happening in real-time.” </p><p>“That sounds… stupid,” Geralt decided. </p><p>“I mean… maybe a bit, but it’s also a good source of entertainment,” Jaskier shrugged and stood, going to set up the movies. “I think we’ll start with four, then after we watch five and six we can watch the first three. Does that sound okay?” he turned to look at Geralt, who shrugged. </p><p>“Whichever you think is best,” </p><p>Jaskier nodded and did as he had suggested. </p><p> </p><p>---- </p><p> </p><p>“What… the actual… fuck…” Geralt was looking at the screen with what could almost be described as disbelief. Jaskier nodded. </p><p>“That was ‘the thing’,” he smiled. “Just wait until you watch the rest.” </p><p> </p><p>---- </p><p> </p><p>“No.” Geralt said once they had finished all of them. “No.” </p><p>“Hm?” Jaskier hugged the pillow he had grabbed at some point during their marathon closer, turning to look at him. </p><p>Geralt grunted, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. </p><p>Sometime after they had finished the sixth (third?) movie, they had both gone to Jaskier’s room and stolen the pillows and blankets off of his mattress and had built what was barely a fort and more like a pile of blankets and pillows scattered in the living room, neither on the couch anymore, using it to lean against as they finished the movie. </p><p>Geralt grunted again, shifting and laying down. </p><p>Jaskier gave a soft smile at the sight, laying down next to Geralt. </p><p>He figured he could become friends with the witcher, even if it seemed as if it would take some time for the other to warm up to him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Nothing Gold Can Stay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Julian decides that Geralt needs an updated music taste. Chaos ensues.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The poem!<br/>Also, we're officially allowed to call him Jaskier now that it's become a nickname or something (but we'll still use Julian sometimes, at least for a bit)</p><p>And a warning, I might mark this as major character death for a little bit because I'm not sure how far into the somewhat-implied-pretty-referenced reincarnation thing that might be going on here, so if it shows up, that's why</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The alarm blared, almost tearing through his skull, making his ears throb as he sat up quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” Julian’s eyes flew open, vision blurry as he began to pat the ground around himself. “Shit. Shitfuck.” He squinted, noticing the figure and pale hair beside him in his living room floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt hadn’t stolen away during the night, then, he figured. Then he remembered that he was supposed to be getting ready. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt rolled over, almost crouching into a defensive stance as he scanned the room. He let his body sag when he saw his newfound not-friend watching him, blue eyes squinting to see. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What… is that… infernal… noise?” Geralt gritted out. Julian flew into action, nodding and babbling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s my fucking… alarm, sorry, gotta…” he began to search around for his phone, crawling around and flinging blankets everywhere in his search. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt held up a hand. “Jaskier.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?” he didn’t look up from where he was patting the ground, trying to find his phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can try to find it,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, no. Don’t tell me you’ve got, like, superhearing, too, or some shit,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt huffed out a laugh. “Something like that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaskier shrugged and stopped what he was doing, peering at Geralt as he began his hunt around the room. When he found it, Geralt held up the small device, examining it and almost growling again when it began to blare once more. He threw it to Jaskier, who caught it with a huff, turning it off and silencing his phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so…” Julian took a deep breath. “I have to go for a little bit, I have work. You should probably stay here until we can figure out some kind of story for what’s going on with you, we can’t just go and tell everyone where you came from and everything, we can’t tell what’ll happen yet. And I have to at least, like… vaguely talk about you to my friends, so that it’s not as weird.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have friends?” the ends up Geralt’s lips quirked up as he teased the shorter man, who stopped and put a hand on his hip, pointing at Geralt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That wasn’t very nice. Yes, I do. And then… oh, fuck. I’ve also got class today, so I might not be home for a little while longer, I’m really sorry,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt cocked his head to the side. “You’re learning a trade?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julian nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, something like that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah. What are you going into?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, well…” Julian rubbed his neck before looking around the room, holding up a hand. “I’ll be right back, gimme a minute.” and he left, leaving Geralt in the middle of the living room in favor of going to his room and changing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he emerged, he was still buttoning his shirt, but had changed completely. “I’m going for a… I’m a music major, English minor.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt watched as he walked into the room, grabbing the tie he had left on the back of a chair. “Hm.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That, uh…” Julian tied the tie around his neck with nimble fingers, working quickly. “Basically means that I’m learning two. Languages, writing, and stuff like that, and music.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt nodded. “What kind of… stuff do you learn, about these languages and writing?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Depends. Various different, uh… kinds of writing and how to write? Sort of? Right now, I’m working with a Robert Frost poem called Nothing Gold Can Stay,” Julian started pulling on his boots. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And this… Robert Frost, he’s a well known bard?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Julian’s laugh came as a puff of air through his nose. “Something like that. I can recite the poem for you, if you’d like, it’s not long.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt shrugged, and Jaskier took that as permission to do so. He cleared his throat. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Nature’s first green is gold,/Her hardest hue to hold./Her early leaf’s a flower;/But only so an hour./Then leaf subsides to leaf./So Eden sank to grief,/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That… sounds almost depressing,” Geralt noted, after he had finished reciting it. Julian shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, yeah, I guess, but quite a few poems are. Writing’s a way to let out what we feel, whether or not we want to admit what exactly that is. Oh, fuck, I’m going to be really late if I don’t go. Okay, uh… don’t go into my room, it’s the one with the door closed, and do not open this door for anyone, okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt nodded obediently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should be back… when that clock says six,” he pointed at the microwave. “It’ll… shit. It’ll look like this,” Julian grabbed a piece of paper, ripping it out of a notebook, and scribbling a messy “6:00” on it and giving it to Geralt. “I should be home by then. If not, assume I’m like, dead, or something, and resign yourself to your fate of being stuck in here until someone comes and breaks in or something.” He said the last part jokingly, giving a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt nodded again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can watch whatever you want, uh… here are the remotes,” Julian grabbed them from the end of the couch and held them out, as well, and Geralt took them. “Okay. Goodbye, farewell, adieu, I will see you later.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaskier grabbed his instrument, slinging it on one shoulder, grabbing his bag with the other hand, and left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Geralt shrugged and sat in front of the couch, similar to how he had the night before, and started to try to figure out how exactly the television worked (somewhere, he was almost certain that Jaskier had told him the night before, but he wasn’t entirely sure, couldn’t completely remember what he had said), and settled on letting the television decide what it wanted to play. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Julian sighed when he saw her walk in. “Renfri, hello. What can we get you?” he sounded almost… bored. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which, really, he was; he would have preferred to stay home, or maybe to go ahead and get to his classes, but-- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But work. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Julian, hi,” she nodded to him. “Black coffee, regular, you know. I’m this close to stabbing someone.” Renfri stood by the counter, a bit off to the side, and he nodded, making it quickly and sliding the drink to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Better?” he asked with a small smile as he watched her. She nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, infinitely. How’re you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave a jerky shrug. “Tired. Slept on the floor last night, I had some company, so we marathoned Star Wars.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh,” she leaned over the counter a little. “Did you two sleep together?” she almost teased him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the literal sense of the term, yes. Fuck, I really feel like I didn’t sleep, at all, and I was almost late--” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me about them,” her statement wasn’t a question, and he sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, first of all, you have the wrong idea. We actually did just go to sleep. But he’s… alright, I guess. Not… from around here. Interesting, tells good stories. Watched Star Wars for the first time last night and looked about ready to stab Anakin,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair, though,” Triss leaned on the counter, putting her chin on her hand and smiling. Julian nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it is. I hope he’s doing alright now,” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Geralt was, under no circumstances, alright with any of this. He stared at the… big black noisy box in horror, trying to figure what the fuck “Potato Sacrifice” and “The End” was supposed to mean. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Humans are so… fucking… weird,” he whispered, eyes scanning the box one more time. He grunted when he saw the button that said “</span>
  <b>CANCEL</b>
  <span>” in all capital letters and almost smashed it, sighing in relief when the noise stopped. Damn box made more noise than it should’ve been allowed to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then there was also the part where Geralt finally realised where he recognised the poem from. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was laughing, strumming his lute in what Geralt was almost positive were not actually chords. The sun was warm, and his friend almost basked in it as he walked, using it as his own personal spotlight as he began to sing some ridiculous song with horrible rhymes in honor of Geralt’s most recent victory, feeling quite light with how successful the day had been and trying to help what tension remained in Geralt’s shoulders relax. He turned around, walking backwards as he smiled at Geralt, and winked before turning back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gets thrown out of the memory and his chest almost aches for the friend that was no longer, hadn’t been for a while. And then it hits him, why Julian had felt so familiar, very likely why the other man hadn’t taken long to believe him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It felt like too long until Julian returned, humming something as he unlocked the door and a stick of cinnamon in his mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, Geralt, I’ve decided that you need to listen to some music,” he said, removing the stick from his mouth and putting his instrument on the ground, propping it against the wall. Geralt raised an eyebrow, half expecting Julian to play it himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Last time someone had said something like that to him, it had been what had happened. He shook the thought off, not wanting to get too lost in his memories as Julian smiled at him, sprawling out on the couch and putting his bag on the floor next to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then-- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room was filled with a loud sound, and the sound of strings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re no strangers to love,” the song began. Geralt cocked his head to the side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gotta make you, understand,” Julian pointed at him. “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you! Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!” and Julian was smiling, almost falling off the couch as he laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Geralt decided that he did not like this song, even as Julian stood, bopping his head to the beat, humming along with it and reaching out to grab his hand, pulling him into some half-dance that was predominantly more bopping around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was Never Gonna Give You Up,” Julian clarified once the song was over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And… most people know this song?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. Most definitely. It’s… very well known,” Julian was smiling, cheeks just barely flushed from the warmth. “Okay, there’s still a couple more. We’ll develop your music taste yet,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then Jaskier turned away to turn on another song. The piano and some sort of beat started, and then there were horns, and Geralt just watched as Julian almost bounced again, looking almost exhilarated, and then he was jumping to the beat, headbanging. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.!” he laughed as he sang along with it, trying to pull Geralt into this song, as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He decided he did not want to get pulled in, content to watch his new not-friend dance around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he could see the whispers of the past, of the friend that had died, rather unfortunately, and he considered how similar they were, right down to interests and their </span>
  <em>
    <span>names</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, suddenly, there was a whole new song playing, another one with one of those funky beats Julian seemed to really like, and this time Geralt did get pulled into the song, Julian laughing as he started to sing again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Taaaaaaaaake onnnnnnnnnn meeeeeeeeeeeeee!” he gasped out. Geralt heard the “I’ll be gone in a day or two,” that the lead singer sang, and then the “It’s no better to be safe than sorry,” and Geralt’s smile faded, just a little, until Julian noticed and started to make his movements more exaggerated, becoming much more animated as the song continued. When it ended, Julian’s face was even redder, and he was breathing heavily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jesus Christ, it’s been too long since I’ve last listened to any of these,” he smiled at Geralt, who nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They… definitely have a sound,” Geralt offered. Julian laughed a little. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That, they do. I’ll be right back, I’m going to go get some water, do you want some?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, thank you,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. And then, we listen to Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” Julian looked over his shoulder as he walked to the kitchen, smiling and winking, and Geralt was almost sure of it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The similarities almost hurt. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. But I Will Stand In The Dark For You (Someday You Will Die And I'll Follow You Into The Dark)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Stay…” and she didn’t catch the end of his statement but she could see Geralt tense and then the bard’s body go limp as he finally succumbed to death. She put a hand on his shoulder, attempting to reassure him, and he silently picked Jaskier’s lifeless body up and made his way out of the clearing.<br/>It was lighter, now, still nighttime and still dark but light enough for them to see, and she finally asked him.<br/>“What… what did he say?”<br/>Geralt inhaled quickly. “‘Stay gold’.”<br/>“What… does that mean?”<br/>“He wrote a poem, once. Something about the passing of seasons or something, I don’t remember. The last couple lines were something like, uh… ‘So Eden sank to grief/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay.’”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so i guess it's finally time to change our rating and warning to "major character death"<br/>also some of the stuff that happens later on in the chapter is a reference to some things we will very likely get into more detail with later</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>She squinted, considering her options. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt hadn’t contacted her in over a week, although that wasn’t too terribly concerning to her. That happened, sometimes; they were two grown people with busy, hectic lives. It was inevitable. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The drop that she felt in her stomach, the feeling of the wind getting knocked out of her lungs, stolen out, and the feeling of something being </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>that she got, however, was not. And it wasn’t as if her concerns were completely unfounded--after what happened with Jaskier… </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shuddered as she remembered it, almost as if it had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>yesterday</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geralt?” Jaskier’s voice called out into the dark, and both she and the witcher had looked around wildly, trying to find where the bard’s voice was coming from, but it felt like it was coming from everywhere and yet nowhere, and inky darkness made everything so much more difficult, even Geralt having difficulty seeing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later, they both figured that it had been made to be like that, that it was meant to be impossible to see through. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt swung his head around, grunting when he couldn’t pick up on the bard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geralt?” the bard called again, voice tinged with panic and… something else. When he screamed, Geralt took in a breath before starting to run, Yennefer cursing as she followed after. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then-- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt broke into a clearing. Yennefer almost crashed into him with how abruptly he stopped, the witcher almost a brick wall in her path. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, fuck…” Geralt muttered before he started to go into the clearing towards Jaskier, sliding to his knees next to the bard. Yennefer followed, not far behind, sucking in a breath at the sight of Jaskier with his hands pressed to his side, another wound almost gaping in his stomach, blood spilling through his fingers and he looked so weak, the frailest she had ever seen the poet, and he attempted a smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You came,” he just barely got out, and Geralt nodded, hands flitting around his friend (were they still friends? He wasn’t sure, not after what had happened) before he finally settled on moving some of the hair off of his forehead, sticky with sweat, then pressing his hands into the other wound in his stomach, eyeing the others that littered the rest of his body with concern. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I came, Jaskier, you’re… you’re my friend,” and Geralt almost choked on his own words as they came out, gold eyes raking down the bard’s body as he took in his friend’s injuries again. And Jaskier almost laughed, he tried to, but it came out as a pained wheeze. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And all Geralt could see on him was red, red staining his tunic, and Geralt almost wanted to throw up not because he was unable to handle blood but because of who he knew it belonged to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaskier’s blue eyes went wide, oh so horribly wide and wet, and he was trying to smile, probably for Geralt’s sake. He removed one of his hands from his side and tried to grasp Geralt, his grip weak as his eyelids began to flutter. Geralt could hear his heartbeat slowing and could feel his own eyes getting moist as he cradled his friend. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y’know… I never thought that this… would be how it ended,” Jaskier choked out, and Geralt shushed him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re going to be okay,” Geralt said. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘S been a good one, Geralt,” Jaskier tried to nod, and Geralt shook his head. “Just… promise not to miss me too much?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Yennefer would’ve laughed if not for the gravity of the situation: even upon death’s door, Jaskier wouldn’t shut up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stay…” and she didn’t catch the end of his statement but she could see Geralt tense and then the bard’s body go limp as he finally succumbed to death. She put a hand on his shoulder, attempting to reassure him, and he silently picked Jaskier’s lifeless body up and made his way out of the clearing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was lighter, now, still nighttime and still dark but light enough for them to see, and she finally asked him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What… what did he say?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt inhaled quickly. “‘Stay gold’.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What… does that mean?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He wrote a poem, once. Something about the passing of seasons or something, I don’t remember. The last couple lines were something like, uh… ‘So Eden sank to grief/So dawn goes down to day./Nothing gold can stay.’”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yennefer nods. “Oh.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had buried him with his lute, and Yennefer had sighed before putting a scattering of yellow flowers upon the spot they had chosen for him, buttercups and dandelions and marigolds and goldenrods and a single chrysanthemum, enchanted to always stay in bloom, above his body. And then the two of them made sure to protect the spot, putting up barriers and enchantments around it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>----</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So it concerned her when she felt what she did, and immediately began to search through her books in an attempt to figure out what the hell had happened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sucked in a breath as she weighed her options. In the end, her concern and almost worry outweighed rationale, for some odd reason, and she made a portal, stumbling through and falling to the ground, scraping her hands and feeling a sting in one of her knees before she standed and brushed herself off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it was so loud, all around her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---- </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Julian strummed his instrument again, the chord sounding almost discordant against his voice. “As if that makes it better,/Makes it worth these chords/That are half-heartedly/Strung together/Now, this is no time for making enemies/Just give me some more light/Or go away, I’ll be alright/But just don’t ask how I am/For I understand nothing, no more/But here--” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you please be quiet?” Geralt finally interrupts. “That’s… not your best.” he admits. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine, I’ll play you another, then. Uh… let me think for a second,” Jaskier looked up at the ceiling, absent-mindedly strumming chords before nodding. “Alright, I think I’ve got one.” and he took a deep breath before starting. “And I wonder/What I did for this/And I bite my questions,/Hold my musings,/Back on my tongue/This battle against the night/I still see your black light.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something painful tugged in his chest, a dull ache, but Geralt only shrugged. “That one was better.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jaskier--Julian, he reminded himself, Julian--laughed and nudged him. “Would you rather I sang about you?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And the painful thing tugged harder, almost making it hard for Geralt to breathe, so he just grunted and nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright,” Julian nodded. “I can start working on it later, then.” and then he was putting his instrument away. “I’m going to make some lunch, do you want anything?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sandwich?” Geralt asked, standing and following his friend to the kitchen. Julian nodded again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Any specific kind?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Any is good,” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright,” And Jaskier got out a pan and some bread and cheese and began to work, turning on some music as he did so. It started with a guitar, before-- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jessie is a friend, yeah, I know he’s been a good friend of mine,” the song started, and Julian was, for the most part, calm as it began. But then-- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And she’s watching him with those eyes… and she’s loving him with that body, I just know it, yeah ‘n’ he’s holding her in his arms late, late at night,” Julian sang it queitly before he turned suddenly, bopping his head. “You know I wish that I had Jessie’s girl! I wish that I had Jessie’s girl! Where can I find a woman like that?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt gave a small smile, laughing a little as he leaned on the counter and watched Julian work, turning back to the sandwiches before the chorus started again. The second time, he pulled Geralt into it, trying to dance around the kitchen with him before the song ended, and then it changed to another. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Any way you want it, that’s the way you need it, any way you want it!” Julian sang with the introduction as he kept Geralt with him, bopping around the kitchen. The playlist went through a couple more songs before Julian remembered the grilled cheeses he had been making, the smell of burning bread catching both his own and Geralt’s attention as he quickly wheeled around on it, looking at it almost accusingly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed as he began to take it off of the pan, putting the pieces on plates and handing one to Geralt. “It’s… not my best work, but.” he shrugged. “Maybe it won’t taste like ass?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Geralt </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>laugh at that, a puff of air out of his nose, shrugging. “It’s fine.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Julian’s smile was bright and he almost chirped when he spoke. “Let’s hope! If not… we can just order something.” He said the last part almost-conspiratorially, as if there was someone they would have to hide their plans from. It made Geralt let out another almost-laugh as he pushed down the dull ache that came from thinking of how similar he was to his friend that once was. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>----</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It had become normal, for them to sit in front of the couch after dinner and watch a movie. There were quite a few Geralt had yet to see and Julian was more than happy to oblige, finding classics that he thought the witcher </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to see. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That night was no exception, and Geralt shook his head when he saw the cartoon start. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? It’s Robin Hood! It’s a classic story!” Julian held his hands out to the screen almost defensively. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure,” Geralt muttered, and Jaskier gasped, almost offended, when he heard it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is! Most every child around now has seen it, so you gotta, too!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Geralt shrugged and gave his friend a small smile. “Whatever you say.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tried not to laugh too hard when the rooster (Alan-A-Dale, Julian told him) came on, nudging his friend and pointing at the character. “Is that you, but a rooster?” Geralt asked him, and Julian rolled his eyes but didn’t respond in the affirmative or derogatory. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---- </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yennefer decided, quite quickly, that she was less than a fan of this new… place. She got lucky, really, when she ran into someone with short brown hair, leaving a building with a strange looking… cup-esque thing in hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She had never seen the woman before, she was sure of it, but there was… something about her that felt vaguely familiar, so when the woman approached her, she didn’t stop her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ren,” she held out a free hand to shake. Yennefer nodded, taking the offered hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yennefer,” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You… look like you aren’t from around here. Do you need a place to stay?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yennefer hesitated before nodding. “Yes, please.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren nodded and resumed walking, looking back behind her shoulder and smiling when she saw Yennefer following. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, they arrived at another building. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is my apartment,” Ren explained, and she held her arms out as Yennefer’s eyes swept through the apartment. After deeming it safe, she followed her newfound friend inside and perched on the couch. She debated between her options and finally opened her mouth to ask about Geralt, but Ren got there before she could. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you need to borrow any clothes?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yennefer shut her mouth and nodded, deciding to ask about Geralt later. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. Follow me, you can borrow some of mine, and I have a spare room you can sleep in for a bit, too,” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren led Yennefer down a hall and to a neatly-made room, leaving her perched on the side of the bed while she went to grab some clothes. She returned fairly quickly, setting the articles of clothing beside Yennefer and smiling. “Here, try these, I thought they might suit you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then she left the room, and Yennefer shrugged out of her dress, trying on some of the clothes Ren had left her with. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When she looked in the mirror, she sighed, wondering how she had ended up in this, but admitting that Ren did appear to have at least somewhat decent taste. The pants felt a bit strange, though, and the shirt felt light and a bit loose, but otherwise… Yennefer figured she could deal with this for as long as it took for her to get things back to as they should be, and make sure Geralt hadn’t died or killed anyone. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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